Electric sign



June 19, 1928.

w. K. WILEY ELECTRIC SIGN Filed Jan. 26, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l [75%27757 (Ida/7066 1 ((29217631 June 19, 1928.

W. K. WILEY ELECTRIC SIGN Filed Jan. 26, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,673,962 PATENT OFFICE. j

WALLACE K. WILEY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FLEXLUME CORPORA- TION, OF TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

Application filed January 26, 1924. Serial No. 688,836.

This invention relates to improvements in electric signs of the enclosed lamp type, that is to say wherein the lamps are enclosed within a casing having one or more display a faces provided with translucent letters. The sides of the casing which provide the display faces are formed with openings in the outlines of the letters or characters to be displayed and these openings are backed by glass .plates which may either be fiat throughout their extent or, as preferred, may have letter or character strokes in relief to project. through the corresponding openings and beyond the sides of the casing.

in the construction of the casings of such signs it has been the practice to provide a rectangular frame to which the display sides are attached, the members of such frame providing the casing walls which extend at angles to the display sides and being of sheet metal and in the form of, outwardly pre sented channels, thereby to secure an advantageous truss effect; and the display sides have been secured by bolts or other suitable fastenings to the vertical flanges of the frame members. This construction, While satisfactory and desirable in many cases, has disadvantages in certain other cases, viz, Where the display sides of the casing are fin- 30 ished in porcelain enamel, where the casing is relatively short, and where certain ornamental border effects may be desired.

The disadvantages of the prior construction in cases where the display side has a porcelain enamelled finish are the impairment. of its appearance by the fastenings which'stand out against the display face, the waviness of the display face, particularly in signs of larger sizes, and the absence of lap joints between the display sides and the frame part of the casing.

In short signs having but. a few letters the prior construction above indicated results in an undesirable emphasis, in point of appearance, of the box-like character of the casing; in other words the plain box-like outline of the casing is emphasized by its shortness and its prescribed width, and is not relieved by any dignity of proportions i or individuality of outline or ornamentation.

In the prior construction the marginal portions of the display side must necessarily "occupy a common vertical plane incident to their attachment to the vertical flanges of the frame of the casing. The vertical margin thus prescribed precludes certain ornamental molding efl'ects which may be desirable in some cases. i

The present. invention relates more particularly to novel features of the casing construction of signs of the type described and its principal object is to provide a simple and practical structure by which the objections above pointed out are overcome, the features of improvement being of value and utility in all cases but of particular value as applied to signs having porcelain enamelled display faces. By virtue of the features of improvement, the fastenings which connect the display sides to the frame of the casing are removed from the display faces and so located that their appearance is not objectionable, waviness of the display sides is eliminated, light proof and weather proof oints are obtained in all cases, 21 marginal molding effect is produced which materially improves the appearance of the shorter signs, and the marginal portions of" the display faces ma be given certain ornamental effects forw ichthe prior construction is not adapted.

The inventionis illustrated in the panying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the sign casing.

Figure 9 is a cross section on'the line accom- 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail sectionview showing the jointure of one of the display sides.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional perspective view showing the corner construction.

Figure 5 is a. similar View showing the inner corner of a panel or section of the display side. p Figure 6 is a cross section showing an alternative construction. t

Figure ,7 is a detail sectional View similar to Figure 3 showing the jointure of one of the display sides in the alternative 'construction.

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view show ing the inner corner of a panel or section of the display side in the alternative construction. i l g The features of improvement are applicable to either single face orpdouble face signs, the latter construction being shown in the drawing.

The casing consists of top and bottom walls 1, end walls 2, and display sides 3, the latter being formed with openings 4 in the outline of the letters or characters to be displayed and which are backed with glass plates (not shown) in the well known manner. The walls 1 and 2 are suitably connected at their adjoining ends and term a rectangular frame to which the sides 3 are secured.

The walls 1 and 2 are of channeled cross section, the sides of the channels being provided by flanges 5 which extend outward from the-bases of the channels. The flanges 5 are provided along their edges with other flanges '(5 which extend substantially at a right angle to the flanges 5 and therefore occupy planes substantially parallel to the bases ol the channels. The jointure ot the walls 1 and 2 l'nay be made in any suitable manner. One form of jointure is shown in l igure t, according to which the flanges 5 project at their ends beyond the bases of the channels and meet on a line 7 which bisects the anglesi'ormed by the meeting channel bases and the meeting flanges (i, the parts being welded or soldered together along their meeting edges.

Each display side 3 may consist of a single integral sheet or it may consist of two or more sheets united together and each forming a section cf the display side. In the drawing a display side is shown which is composed of two sections 3. The display side as a. whole is provided along each edge with a 'marginal'flange 8 which extends inward and at a substantial right angle to the sheet. The flanges 8 overlie and fit closely upon the flanges 6. to which they are attached by suitable fastenings 9. The flanges 8 are spaced from the bases of the channels by a distance equal to the depth of the flanges 5 and thereby a molding etl'cct is produced in relation to the frame walls 1 and 2 which, in the case of the shorter signsgives a desirable illusion of thinness, that is to say makes the casing appear to be thinner than it in fact can be made it the best: illuminating results are to be secured, the effect of thinness thereby secured adding substantially to the appearance of the sign. The fastenings 9, it will be ob served, are wholly removed from the display face and are located along the outer faces of the molding provided by the flanges 5 and G where their presence is not particularly noticeable and in no case is objectionable.

"Where the display side is composed of sections, each section in addition to flanges 8 along the margins of the display side. is provided with a flange 8" along the edge where it adjoins another section. The flange 8 is similar to the flanges 8 except that at its ends clearances 8* are provided between it and the adjacent flanges 8 in which the flanges 6 may be fitted as shown in Figure 5. The flanges 8" of adjacent sections overlie and bear against one another and are secured together by fastenings 9 which are arranged within the sign casing and are thus ren'ioved from the display face. A channeled strip 10 is preferably titted over the meeting flanges 8 and secured by the fastenings 9 in order to provide a light seal.

The casing. having the features above explained, n'iay be otherwise constructed in any suitable manner and is shown as provided with the usual bars 1.1 by which it may he hung from a mast arm and the usual reinforcing irons 12 to which the bars 11 are connected.

The joints provided by the llangcsfl and R are light. proof and weather prool. This is also true of the joints provided by the flanges 8" although a more certain light proot efl'ect is obtained by sealing the crevices between the sections by the thin channeled strip it). The flanges H and 8 overcome any tendency to waviness ot the sheet or sheets of which the display side is composed and provide permanent re-infol-cements for the same. The molding efl'ect secured by the flanges 5 and (5 is in any case an intrinsic aid to the appearance of the sign, However, if desired, more ornamental ellects may be readily obtained. For example, instead of extending the flanges 8 from the plane of the sheet. inclined portions may beprovided from which said flanges extend, thereby giving a bevel effect, and other variations of outline to which the construction is adapted may be similarly resorted to.

In Figures 6 to 8 the walls 1 and 2 are provided with flanges 6 which arethe structural and functional equivalents of the.

flanges 6.

In Figures 1 to 5 the attachment flanges of the 'alls 1 and 2, i. e., the flanges (5, extend outward from the flanges 5 and the channel less than the full width of the wall whereas in Figures 6 to 8 the attachmentflanges,

i. e., the flanges 6, extend inward from the flanges 5 and overhang the channel which in this case occupies the full width of the wall. The construction shown in Figures (5 to 8 embodies the same principle and seeuresthe same advantages as the construction first described. A difference is to be noted, however, in that in the construction shown in Figures 6 to 8 all parts of the fastenings 9 i are accessible externally of the casing. In the alternative construction the clearance 8 must be suihciently wide to receive the flan e 5 and such a clearance is shown in b Figure 8.

Having fully described my invention, I claim:

1. In an electric sign of the enclosed lamp type, a metal casing composed of channelled n upper and lower walls and connecting walls constituting a frame, a display side attached to said frame, and a molding like connection standing out from said frame adjacent and behind said display side and composed of flanges formed on and extending at an angle to the sides of said channelled frame walls and flanges formed on and extending at an angle to said display side, said flanges being coextensive with the margins of said chan nelled frame walls and display side and being secured to one another in overlying relation at points behind said display side, thereby to serve for the attachment of said display side to said frame.

2. In an electric sign of the enclosed lamp type, a metal casing having a frame composed of upper and lower Walls and connecting walls, a display side attached to said frame, said Walls each including a body portion, a flange extending from the body portion along one side thereof and a flange extending from the outer edge of the first flange in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the body portion and said display side having inturned marginal flanges which overlie and bear against said attachment flanges, and means to fasten the marginal flanges of said display side to said attachment flanges.

3. In an electric sign of the enclosed lamp type, a metal casing having a frame composed of upper and lower Walls and connecting walls, a display side attached to said frame and composed of sheets, each sheet being a section of said display side, said flanges of said display side to said attachment flanges, each sheet of said display side also having an inturned flange along the margin where it meets an adjacent sheet, and means to fasten said last named flanges to one another.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WALLACE K. WILEY. 

